


shot through the heart (it's all part of the game that we call love)

by pied_pollo



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Fluff and Crack, Gunshot Wounds, Humor, Malcolm Bright Whump, Paintball, Swearing, Team as Family, Temporary Character Death, and everyone's done with his antics, ish, malcolm is pure of heart but dumb of ass, well it's complicated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:41:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24659293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pied_pollo/pseuds/pied_pollo
Summary: They had previously been crouched in front of a concrete barrier, guns drawn. But a moment later, Malcolm was nowhere to be seen.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	shot through the heart (it's all part of the game that we call love)

Gil was too old for this shit. 

His knees hurt. His shoulders were sore. He was tired. And hot. But most importantly, he was pissed off. Take a guess why.

“Bright,” he hissed. “ _Bright._ Dammit, Malcolm, where’d you go?”

As always, he had been forced to accompany Malcolm on a takedown. And as always, the kid managed to evade him in order to put into effect whatever stupid plan his manic, sleep-deprived brain schemed. They had previously been crouched in front of a concrete barrier, guns drawn. But a moment later, Malcolm was nowhere to be seen.

“Dani,” Gil whispered, “JT. Does anybody have eyes on Bright?”

“Negative,” Dani replied. Gil turned around to face her; he hadn’t noticed her stooping behind another blockade a couple yards away.

Gil dared to peek over the ledge of the barrier, sneaking a glance around the terrain, then dropped back down. “I don’t see him,” he relayed to Dani.

Dani searched, too. “Nothing here.”

“I got him!”

Gil whipped around to see JT, staring at something behind him. When he turned back around, he saw it: about a hundred yards away, Malcolm was meandering across the pavement. He looked, for lack of a better term, _crazy_ ; his gun was drawn, but he held it loosely by the barrel, and he almost twirled as he paced. There was a wild look in his eyes that everyone on the team was all-too-familiar with.

“Hello?” Malcolm called. “ _Hello-o?_ Are you there?” He spun on one heel and lifted his gun arm to the sky.

“What the hell?” JT muttered.

“I’m right here! C’mon, you can’t resist. I know you can’t,” Malcolm taunted.

“Is he high, Gil?” Dani half-whispered.

“No, he’s just a goddamn maniac,” Gil huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Hold up,” JT said, “I’ve got eyes on the target.” He pointed across the lot.

All three of them sat in silence, trying to pinpoint the figure making their way behind Malcolm. Gil caught movement; a lithe figure scurried behind the blockade opposite them.

“Is that our woman?” Dani asked.

“That’s her,” Gil confirmed, raising his gun.

“Bright,” JT bellowed, “get down!”

Malcolm raised his eyebrows. He did not get down--(what made Gil think he would listen?)--and instead, rotated to face the offender. You know, like every other case they’ve ever worked.

“You don’t have to do this,” he said slowly.

“Does that ever work?” Dani groaned.

The woman lifted her gun. Malcolm didn’t even flinch. He almost smiled.

“Do you have a shot?” Gil asked.

“I can’t get her without hitting him,” Dani explained. She poised her gun on the ledge and tried to see through the scope. “I don't think--”

The rest of her sentence was cut off by a deafening _bang_ that pierced the air. Gil squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ringing ears against the sudden noise. When he opened them, the woman was gone. Malcolm stood alone on the pavement, hunched over. He cradled his stomach.

And then he crumpled to the ground, landing hard on his side.

“ _Shit_ ,” JT cursed, getting to his feet.

“Bright, you good?” Dani shouted, jumping up to follow him.

Gil rushed over as well. Malcolm lay where he fell, unmoving.

Dani got to him first. She bent down and grabbed his shoulder. Malcolm’s body was completely lax, and his head lolled as Dani turned him over.

“Bright,” she repeated, taking his face in her hand. “Bright, can you hear me?”

“Where’s he hit?” Gil asked, pulling his phone out to call for an ambulance.

“What…?” Dani murmured. She took her hand off his shoulder and sat back.

“Dani, where’s he shot?” Gil demanded.

“He’s not.”

“What?”

Suddenly, Malcolm’s eyes flew open. He snatched his gun from the ground and pointed it at Dani. Without warning, he pulled the trigger.

Dani flew back with the force and skidded to a stop. She looked down and swore at the blue paint that now splattered her vest. “ _You bitch!_ ”

Malcolm sat up, grinning wickedly. He wiped the paint flecks from his face. “I’d say Dani’s out?”

“This dude, I swear,” JT grumbled, standing up from where he had been kneeling on the concrete.

“ _Sir?_ _What’s your emergency?_ ”

Gil brought the phone back to his ear. “I’m really sorry,” he apologized. “This was an accident. It was...I’m so sorry.” He hung up the phone. Then, he took in a deep breath, let it out, and put his face in his hands.

Malcolm looked around sheepishly at his seething colleagues. “So...no?”

“Oh, my god, Bright!”

They turned around to see Edrisa hurrying towards them, her paintball gun bouncing at her hip. She pulled the face shield off. “Are you hurt?”

“He will be,” Dani growled. She put her hands on her hips. “What the _hell_ was that, Bright?”

Bright gave her an uncomfortable smile. “An idea?”

“‘An idea’?” JT scoffed.

“Looking back, it wasn’t the smartest decision ever, but in my defense, it was very efficient.”

“ _No shit!_ ” Gil snapped. “I was going to call the goddamn EMTs!”

“You really scared us,” Edrisa admitted, her voice small.

Malcolm softened. “I’m really sorry, guys.”

“You better be,” Dani huffed. She stripped off her vest and let it drop to the ground. JT did the same.

“Let’s go. I think this place is closing, anyway,” he said. He reached out an arm to help Malcolm up.

Malcolm took his hand and let himself be lifted to his feet. Almost immediately, he folded in on himself, his face contorted with pain. He took in a few deep breaths, but it didn’t seem to ease whatever had him bent over. JT touched his shoulder gingerly, confusion furrowing his brow. “You good?”

“I think I might have sprained my wrist,” Malcolm groaned.

“It’s what you deserve,” Gil said, not breaking his stride. “Get in the car.”

**Author's Note:**

> Give Gil A Break 2k20
> 
> (also i know i don't usually title my fics with that format by it's just so aesthetic i couldn't resist)


End file.
